simple game of chess
by eudaemonics
Summary: Link can't seem to best Shad at chess. Fortunately, he has a plan and he made no promise to play fair.


Link was a smart boy— certainly above average intelligence for others his age. He was skilled at solving puzzles, strategic planning and all that; he had to be in order to plow through dungeons like he did.

But if he was smart, then Shad was on an entirely different level.

His alibi was that had never played chess prior to this, nobody played such a game in Ordon. Shad had took about an hour to explain how all the pieces moved, what was and wasn't allowed, the terminology and, of course, the goal of the game. The first few times he played against Shad he had actually won, but it was clear he was merely going easy on Link to allow him to get used to the game and the hero got cocky for nothing.

When Shad began showing no mercy, Link had a fiery determination to beat him.

Fifteen games later and that determination did not fade, but Link was using every ounce of willpower he had not to flip the board over in frustration.

Halfway through the sixteenth, and Link was clearly a mess, but Shad remained looking as calm as he first did when they started the entire thing, except he was fighting back a snide grin. It wasn't _fair, _Shad hadn't faltered even _once_.

"In order to be successful, you must think three or four moves ahead of your opponent." Shad said with a bemused lilt in his voice as he took out one of the few pawns Link had left.

"Hard to do that when you're thinking_ ten_ moves ahead." Link mumbled in reply.

He _had_ to win, at least once. Yet, no matter how many games they played, Shad remained completely focused.

If only there was some way to break that focus.

Actually, when Link thought hard enough about it, there was _one_ thing that jumbled Shad's mind, to the point that he was barely able to speak. _Yes, that might work. _He bit back a smile, and Shad must have noticed because he caught him narrowing his eyes in confusion.

When Shad grabbed a knight, Link blurted out shamelessly, "You're pretty sexy when you're concentrating like that."

As he expected, Shad's entire face was blanketed by a bright shade of red and the piece nearly fell from his trembling fingers.

"I b - believe I've already told you before to please refrain from saying such— _such obscene_ comments." Shad's attempt to berate him completely fell flat from not only his stuttering, but the sudden meekness in his voice.

Shad moved his hand to resume his movement of the knight, but stopped with a sheepish expression. He had forgotten what he was going to do. Link could already feel victory beginning to pour over him, but he couldn't relax just yet. One fumble would be easy for Shad to recover from.

Shad placed the knight down on a different space on the board, which Link took out with a bishop set a ways away down the board in his turn. Telling from Shad's face, that wasn't part of his plan.

When it was his turn again, Shad took a few moments to examine the current state of the board and presumably rethink his strategy. He took a rook between his fingers and–

"Shad, look up for a second." Link suddenly said, and Shad thoughtlessly obeyed the order, regret of doing so showing up in the form of furrowed brows.

He silently stared into the other's face for a good ten seconds. It made the scholar nervous, just as planned.

"I don't think I've ever told you this before," he finally said, "But your eyes are really beautiful, such a deep color, like I'm staring...into your soul? Or something."

Maybe he wasn't so good at the poetic aspect, but it embarrassed Shad all the same. He turned away from Link and a slight scowl spread his lips.

"_Link!_"

"What?" Link feigned indignation, "That wasn't _obscene,_ it was _romantic._"

"I know what you are trying to do." He hissed.

Link only gave him a coy smile as a reply.

Though Shad had caught on quickly to Link's scheme, when he went to go move the rook in his grasp, like the knight he had forgotten exactly what he was going to do with it. He sighed and moved it forward nonetheless after a second of fruitless thought.

Apparently he had forgot just where Link's queen was and by the time he noticed it was far too late.

Before Link made the move to take out the rook, he made sure to get a good look at Shads face; wide-eyed and nervous. Just how he himself was during the last fifteen games.

"Better step it up, Shad, or I might win." He practically sang as he pushed his queen against the fallen-rook.

Shad's expression turned flat, unreadable. Wordlessly, he leaned over the board and placed a feather-light kiss on the corner of his mouth. Against his lips, the words "check mate" came out in a soft whisper–

Wait. _Check mate? _

Link gently pushed Shad away by the shoulders to get a look at the board.

There was no doubt it was a check mate. He lost.

"But_ how?! _I was…" _Doing so good. _Link's voice, weak from defeat, trailed off.

"To win, you must think at least three or four moves ahead of your opponent." Shad hummed in victory, "How many times must I say it, old boy?"

Shad was _definitely_ on an entirely different level.

Link did end up flipping the board over, but predictably he wound up cleaning his mess up too, after a firm scolding from Shad about how glass chess pieces are not only fragile but expensive.


End file.
